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Salisbury’s take

When I look out the window of my office onto the center of campus and I see the beautiful fall colors that surround us, I’m reminded of how quickly time passes on our journeys.

It seems like so many of us are just counting the days until the semester is over. We’re counting down the days until we graduate. We’re counting down the days until we get that cool new job or get accepted into the graduate school of our choice. What we seem to forget to do is enjoy the moment.

We’re so worried about exactly what is going to be on our next exam that we forget to truly learn and absorb the material our professors are sharing with us in class. If the only reason we are going to college is to get a piece of paper that says, “I finished college,” then we are truly missing out on an opportunity that so many people simply do not get to have.

Of course, when you’re 18, 29, or 20 years old you really aren’t thinking about how short life is and why you should cherish every moment. From your perspective, it seems as if you have your whole life in front of you. While in theory that may be true, in reality we never know what is going to happen each day, and we can’t truly be sure that this day might not be our last. This is why I want to encourage you to take a few seconds to just chill out for a minute and relax.

I’ve heard a lot of talk about this idea this semester. We have a senator in student government who is working with the administration and our counseling center to create a space for students to come and just take a break for a few minutes.

We have a class project going on that has a “Rest and Relax” space in the Campus Club Room, Student Activities Center 206, every Tuesday afternoon from 1 to 4 p.m. There are many of us on campus that would love to have a real coffee-shop like space that students could come and spend hours just drinking coffee and listening to soft background music and creating their favorite latte recipe while they write the best paper ever for class.

It seems silly to consider, but we really should just take some time to enjoy the experiences we are having while here at college. For example, we had a very successful Spirit Week last week. We had over 200 students attend the RHA Halloween dance on Oct. 27. We provided a fun, safe space for nearly 300 children and parents on Halloween night with Boo-to-You. We had 40 folks attend Titan Productions’ Murder Mystery event on Nov. 1.

Fifteen clubs made banners for athletic events this past weekend. We had about 20 students and staff compete against each other in volleyball. Wish with the Chancellor got moved inside because of the weather, but many campus and community members attended.

We had a blast meeting the new Titus the Titan on Nov. 3, followed by the Nearly Naked Mile, a tailgate party with Chicago-style hot dogs and a mini-pep rally. Then we got to see our Titan Women Volleyball team finish their season with a victory.

While all of these events were fun and those of us who attended had a great time, so few of you were there and that makes me sad. So many people worked so hard to provide so many great experiences this past week and in reality, so few of you showed up.

Why is that? Is it because you have to work while going to school? Is it because you had classes while the events were going on? Or, is it because we just don’t see the value in having a little fun with our fellow students. If that is the fact, then I’m sorry.

It’s my job as president of the Student Body to foster community and look for ways to get our students to engage with one another while they are here. So this is my way of reaching out to you and finding out what it would take to get you involved.

This is not a rhetorical question. I’m asking you, please, to let me know what we need to do for our students that would get them to want to hang around campus more and build relationships with their fellow students. The best way to reach me with your suggestions is by emailing me at stugov@iusb.edu. Think about it and write me. I’m looking forward to hearing from you. And hey, while you’re at it, take a break, look out your window and enjoy the view.